Sweet moments with Ms. B

Society involves people; living harmoniously together for a common goal in life : " belongingness".

In a country, or in any country for that matter, everyone needs a place to live; a group to interact with; a community, in general and a family, in particular. And that comprises a society in my own definition of the term.

A big chunk of our country's history revealed some harsh truth of constant invasion, colonization,etc by foreign invaders, which most of the times lowered our self esteem and degraded our own very essence of existence. Never has any foreign conqueror filled our cup of dignity, but rather hacked if not shunned our modest but pure valor, which resided in each our very heart, as Filipinos.

While it is true that society not just granted us our freedom but also persuaded our minds to be in constant accord with man and nature, but freedom is quite a vague word; freedom from whom and of what? Perhaps the answer lies in the kind of society we had with our past which surely influenced much the society we are having now and in the near future.

In the following pages, certain moments of Philippine history would be unraveled but only briefly concerning the Sugar Industry and particularly the emergence of a Filipino Society.

PART I

Morale - The word implies significance to every person as it is an important cultural text which needs to be tended to with more attention. It implies our bravery in most everything we do and care and it must be placed on top of any situation being a part of us, of our culture, and of our lives.

Generally speaking- our Filipino life, since the beginning of time when the cave men roamedthe dark dungeons until the the first invasion by the Spaniards, has been experienced with a kind of silence as if having a very low self esteem and in a subdued manner. The people's sentiments during this period were tender enough to be easily influenced by newcomers of the land. They were greatly inclined to emotions rather than reasons, except of course Datu Lapu-Lapu (considered to be the first hero) who acted fiercely if not un-cunningly and resented bravely over the Conquistadores' aim of Christianization. Surely, he must have had too many reasons to be mentioned here.

So when these foreigners (Spaniards) established their own idealism not to mention Religion, our forefathers did well in their commendations and gave in, almost instantly but with hopes and dreams of a better life ahead.

Assets - With the advent of the Sugar Plantation in our country, men, women and children were excited if not provoked, with the current idea of business being a novel indea to venture into. Pampanga Sugar began entering the export trade which became the largest sugar-making area in the Philippines. And in the later part specifically on 1790, ships of foreign registry began legally trading Asian goods in Manila, as a result of a petition filed by La Real Compania de Filipinas. Thus in 1834, a fully operational port was opened.

For almost a decade (1836- 1920) the entire Negros province and Pampangga has changed significantly. By the middle of the nineteenth century annual sugar production increased enormously together with the increase of population thru migration. But the Spaniards dominated the industry, as they were the forerunners in the establishment of sugar planting. The government however had legitimate laws on the acquisition of large parcels of agricultural land mass in Negros, which was intended for distribution.

The Chinese took part of the financial growth too, in the form of loans and stock brokerages.

The people's sentiment at this time had evolved into a more complex web of confusion over who was elite and who was not. For the Hacienderos ?the people who owned the land on the other hand- a gap existed, and was so pronounced that the tenants were recognized as lower in social class as compared to their landowners. In fact the whole province became famous as the wealthiest and most progressive in the country.

But there were factors to be considered why it became so. Bank loans were quite rampant in those days, with the land itself as collateral. Among the high level or upper social class, the very rich became richer, more so when they purchased large parcel of lands at cheap prices. Two ways of increasing wealth on those times were namely, Absolute sale of land and the ever popular Pacto-de-retrovendendo sale. The latter worked in this manner: a land was sold for less than its true value but with provision that the seller had the right to repurchase that land within a specified time limit, with the addition of interest charges. This type of land acquisition was much abused due to the fact that it was an easier way to get hold of land from the farmers.


Education - In the education arena, the poor barely had the chance to get quality education after their primary years which were mandatory. This came to be at the time when the Americans came. They mades changes particularly in the ways the learning process was uplifted and on the benefits earned by the richer families, in relation to education.There was a kind of undertstanding which best explains why only the children of the rich were the only beneficiaries of their toils. These elite class even pursued higher learning benefits to larger schools like colleges and universities in Manila and furthermore abroad like Spain and United States of America.

The minds and spirits of the people had grown into a more entwined network of chaos and uncertainty, far more different than what it used to be in the olden days. Society has evolved a much vibrant impression of a new generation, of a modern echelon of time. An example might be explained like this: in order to fully gain elite standing within the community, one has to hold higher political office position in the group of professionals but with a pre-requisite of owning a land himself.


Well being - Over the years, the tenants remained on the lowest level of the social class stature, most contrasting with that of the wealthy landowners who remained rich, even became richer. There were two notable sentiments which have grown in this part of the country; Obedience of the workers to the landowners and usurpation of the Hacienderos over the leaseholders. A much greater gap has spread widely, un-conveniently for most of the working class.


Religion - In contrast to the rest of society?s facial metamorphosis, one consequential circumstance appeared benign. Of all the other aspects stated herein, there is one most likely became to be the only if not the ultimate ingredient of society which was harmoniously enjoyed by both the landowners and tenants- Religion.

A far great number of the community if not all, survived the constant infliction of ideals and purposes of Catholicism, for which the Spanish invaders were so eager to uphold and pursued unceasingly and patiently over the years. It almost completed each individual in those times, rich or poor, with that very endearing feeling of belongingness and a sense of protection from the heaven above which was so greatly idolized and worshiped, for a greater after-life beyond.

Well, for me society cannot be gauged with or without these aspects mentioned here. One can only witness and feel the effects it yields in each passing time.